Song:What I Got
Album:Gold
By the time Sublime finally scored a radio hit with the 1996 single What I Got, lead singer Bradley Nowell had died from a heroin overdose. The others didn't want to continue without him so that ended Sublime. What distinguished Sublime from other band of the era was the addition of ska and reggae elements. Sublime was formed in 1988 in Long Beach, CA. Bassist Eric Wilson and drummer Bud Gaugh were childhood friends. They had a band in high school with Michael Happoldt called The Juice Bros. Happoldt became Sublime's manager. Lead singer and guitarist Bradley Nowell knew Wilson from another band. Sublime was formed when Nowell convinced the other two to play ska and reggae. They started playing shows and they started their own label Skunk Records. Nowell adopted a dalmatian and the dog was allowed to be on stage. He was made an official mascot. The 1992 album 40oz. to Freedom saw success when Los Angeles radio station KROQ played the single Date Rape. It was enough to get Sublime a deal with MCA's Gasoline Alley label. The 1994 album Robbin' The Hood did not perform as well as expected. And Sublime became a problem on tour due to unruly behavior. They returned to the studio to record the 1996 album Sublime mostly produced by Paul Leary of The Butthole Surfers. But before the album was released, Nowell died from a heroin overdose on May 25, 1996 at age 28. His body was found in a San Francisco motel room. Sublime was released July 30, 1996. As tends to happen, the death spiked album sales. It was certified 5XPlatinum. The single What I Got topped the Modern Rock chart. The song was based on Loving by dance hall reggae artist Lindon "Half Pint" Roberts. And the melody will remind you of The Beatles classic Lady Madonna. The video was a tribute to Nowell. Sublime chose not to continue without Nowell. This 2CD comp covers their history. Universal had continued to release Sublime recordings from the vault. Wilson and Gaugh formed Long Beach Dub Allstars in 1997. They released two albums and split up in 2002. Wilson formed Long Beach Shortbus from that. They reformed Sublime in 2009. Though Gaugh has left the band, they continue to tour. Here's the video for What I Got by Sublime.
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